1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to golf clubs. More particularly, this invention relates to golf club heads provided with a hardened striking surface.
2. State of the Art
A golf club, whether it is a driver, an iron, or a wedge, has a head that engages a golf ball when the golf club is swung at the golf ball. When a moving golf club strikes the ball, momentum is transferred from the club head to the ball. The force with which the ball is hit, and the resulting distance the ball travels is directly related to the hardness of the club head. This is because during the transfer of energy, momentum is conserved. The harder the club head surface, the less energy will be absorbed by the head itself and the greater the transfer of momentum to the ball.
Prior art FIGS. 1 and 2 show the club head 10 of a golf club 12. The head includes a striking surface 14 which, when the golf club is moved through a golfer's swing, makes the contact with a golf ball. The striking surface 14 is made of a substrate material 15 hard enough to transfer energy to the golf ball. The striking surface 14 is also typically provided with a plurality of horizontal grooves 16 which provide back-spin on the ball, and therefore a level of control between the striking surface 14 and the golf ball when the striking surface impacts against the golf ball.
The striking surface of a conventional golf club head has a hardness which is not ideal in that it does not transfer all of the momentum generated during the swing of the club head toward the ball. As a result, given a certain amount of momentum in the club head, maximum hitting distances are not obtained. This problem could be reduced if players could use a golf club having a club head provided with a harder striking surface; that is, a striking surface that could better translate the momentum of the swing into ball distance. However, providing a harder striking surface is only a partial solution to the problem, as either the entire head must made of the harder material, or the harder striking surface must be sufficiently bonded to the underlying club head material so as to avoid delamination of the striking surface from the underlying club head. Moreover, the striking surface must not be so brittle as to fracture upon impact with a golf ball and must have sufficient durability to be used over and over again.